Control valve



June 19, 1934. J, E. SHEAFFER CONTROL VALVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb.26, 1932 Mr M w INVENTOR jinwwr a Y B ATTORN EY June 19, 1934. JSHEAFFER 1,963,872

CONTROL VALVE Filed Feb. 26, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w' uIIIIIIIIHEIIIIIIII nmlll 4f Z3 willy/264%,;

BY Wxajmr- W IIII SI ATTOR N EY Patented June 19, 1934 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE CONTROL VALVE John Elmer Sheaifer, Louisville, Ky.,assignor to J. E. Sheaffer Company; Inc., Louisville, Ky.

Application February 26, 1932, Serial No. 595,405

2 Claims.

-. T19 opened position and said stop means automatically locking thevalve in said opened position until the operating means is againactuated whence said stop means automatically releases the valve andpermits the latter to assume a closed 1 l position.

With these and other objects in view, this invention consists in certainnovel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts tobe hereinafter more fully described and 29 claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had tothe following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1is a sectional .diagrammatical View illustrating a valve and remotecontrol means therefor and showing said valve associated with a hotwater heater of a water system of a building.

Figure 2 is a side elevation illustrating the valve and operating meanstherefor with the valve in .30 an off or closed position.

Figure 3 is an edge elevation same.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the operating means andvalve in an opened posiillustrating the tion.

Figure 5 is a detail viewshowing the positive stop means in the act ofreleasing the valve from an opened position.

Figure 6 is a similar view showing the stop means after releasing thevalve from. an opened position and with the operating means of the valvereturned to anormal or .off position.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line '77 of Figure 4.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Figure '7.

Figure 9 is a perspective view illustrating a locking plate.

Figure 10 is a perspective view illustrating an 7 actuating plate.

Referring in detail-to the drawings, the numeral 1- indicates aconventional type of hand lighted gas burner for heating the water inthe tank 2 of a hot water system of a building. The heater and tankbeing shown the basement of a building with the outlet for the waterarranged in conjunction with a sink or basin 3 located in the buildingabove the basement. The burner of the gas heater 1 having the usual gassupply pipe 4 connected thereto and in which is located a valve 5constructed in accordance with my invention.

The valve 5 comprises a body 6 having a passage therethrough to whichthe gas supply pipe 4 is connected and the passage is intersected by atapering bore 8 forming a. valve seat engaged by a plug valve 9 oftapered formation and which is provided with a port 10 adapted to bemoved into and out of registration with the passage 7 for controllingthe gas to the burner of the heater 1. The bore 8 at one end is enlargedto form a chamber 11 in which is formed an annular bearing 12 adapted torotatably support a valve operating head 13. The head 13 is providedwith a squared shank 14 fitting within a squared socket 15 of the valveelement 9 for the purpose of providing a slidable driving connectionbetween the head and the valve element. The head 13 is held in seatedengagement with the annular bearing 12' by a stationary plate 16 securedto the body 6 and interposed between the head 13 and the valve element 9is an expansion spring 17 normally urging the valve element intoengagement with the walls of the bore 8 to establish aleak-proofconnection to prevent the escape of gas from the valve during the use ofthe device.

The body 6 is provided with a passage 18 in communication with thepassage 7 and iscontrolled by a valve 19. The passage '18 has a pipe 20in communication therewith and which is connected to the ordinary pilotof the burner 1 and. with the valve 19 in an opened position, gas flowsto the pilot regardlessof the position of the valve element 9.

A valve lever 23 has formed at one end a hub portion 24 provided with anelongated opening 25 to receive a correspondingly shaped portion on thehead 13 for the purpose of establishing a driving connection between thelever and said head. The hub portion 24 provides a'curved bearv ingsurface 26 on which is formed a tongue or an extension 2'? which extendslaterally of the hub 24 into an arcuate shaped slot formed in the plate16. The hub 24 between the tongue or extension 27 and the lever 23 isprovided with a recess 28. The free end of the lever 23 is connected toone of the coiled springs 22 for normally urging said lever in adirection to close the valve 5, A stop 29 is carried by'thehub24ito'engage with a stop 30 on the plate 16 for limiting'the movementof the lever 23 beyond avvalve. closing position under the action of itsrespective spring 22.

An operating lever 31 is provided with a hub 32 journalled to the head13 and said hub 32 is provided with a stop 33 adapted to engage the stopfor limiting the movement of the operating lever 31 in one direction.The operating lever 31 has the coiled spring 22 attached thereto forurging said operating lever in the stated direction or into its normalposition when the valve 5 is in a closed position.

A substantially segmental shaped actuating plate 34 is pivoted to theoperating lever 31 as shown at 35 and the pivot 35 carries a circularhead 36 riding on one edge of the valve lever 23. The actuating plate 34upon its inner edge is formed with a rounded shoulder 37 adapted to fitwithin the recess 28 for the purpose of establishing a drivingconnection between the operating lever 31 and the valve lever 23. Theinner edge of the actuating plate 34 between the free end of thelatterand the shoulder 37 is curved as shown at 38 to conform to the contourof the hub 24 of the valve lever 23 and bears thereagainst. An ear 39 isformed on the outer edge of the actuating plate 34 and has connectedthereto a coiled spring 40 which is in turn connected to an ear 41formed on the hub of the operating lever 31 for the purpose of normallyurging the inner edge of the actuating plate into engagement with thehub of the valve lever to position the shoulder 3'7 in the recess 28.The actuating plate 34 is provided with a slot 42 and one wall of thesame has formed thereon a stop or shoulder 43. The free end of theactuating plate 34 is shaped to form an abutting face 44 and also a stopor shoulder 45.

A latch plate 46 is pivoted to the stationary plate 16 as shown, at 47and includes arcuate shaped curved portions 48 and 49 extending inopposite directions from the pivot 47. The latch plate 46 is locatedbetween the stationary plate 16 and the hub 24 of the valve lever 23with a major portion of the latch plate extending outwardly from underthe hub 24. The inner edge of the arcuate shaped portion 43 of the latchplate forms a cam face 50 which rides on the tongue or extension 27. Thefree end of the arcuate shaped portion 48 of the latch plate isconnected to a coiled spring 51 which is in turn secured to the stop 30for normally urging the latch plate in a direction to bring the cam face50 against the tongue or extension 2'7. The latch plate is provided.with a recess 52 at its inner edge and at one end of the cam face 50..The highest part of the cam face 50 communicates with the recess- 52 andthereby forms a latching shoulder 53 adapted to engage one side of theextension or tongue 2'7 when the latter enters the recess 52. Thearcuate shaped portion 49 of the latch plate forms a stop forlimitingthe pivotal movement of the latch plate in one direction by engaging thehub 24 of the valve lever 23. An ear 54 is formed on the outer edge ofthe latch plate and operates within the slot 42 of the actuating plate34. An extension or ear 55 is formed on the latch plate 46 tobe engagedby the working face 44 and also the extension or stop of the actuating-plate'34 during the operation of the device and which will behereinafter more fully described. 7

The normal position of the various parts heretofore describedare asshown in Figure 2 with the valve 5 in a closed position. A movement ofthe operating lever 31 in the direction indicated.

by the arrow in Figure 2 to a position as shown in Figure 4 causesail-opening of the valve 5. When the lever 31 moves from the positionshown in Figure 2, it simultaneously moves the valve lever 23 in acorresponding direction due to the actuating plate 34 or the shoulder 37thereof fitting wlthin the recess 28 of the valve lever 23. As theoperating lever 31 reaches the position shown in Figure4, the shoulder43 .of the actuating plate engages the ear 54 of the latch plate andlimits the movement of the operating lever beyond the position shown inFigure 4. During the described movement of the operating lever 31, thetongue or extension 27 rides against the cam face and as the operatinglever 31 and also the valve lever 23 reach the position shown in Figure4 to open the valve, the tongue or extension 27 passes the end of thecam face 50 allowing a pivotal movement of the latch plate inwardlybringing the tongue or extension 27 into engagement with the latchshoulder 53 looking the valve lever 23 in the position shown in Figure 4for maintaining the valve in anopened position. The movement of theoperating lever into the position shown in Figure 4 brings the workingface 44 of the actuating plate 34 into engagement with the stop of thelatch plate, so that on further movement of the operating lever 31 inthe same direction causes a pivotal movement of the actuating plate 34outwardly from the hub of the valve lever disengaging the shoulder 37from the recess 28' interrupting the driving connection between theoperating lever and the valve lever. The working face exerting pressureon the stop 55 causes a pivotal movement of the latch plate against thetension of the spring 51 disengaging the latch shoulder 53 from thetongue or extension 2'7 of-the valve lever. The valve lever 23 is thenfreed from a locked position and returns to its initial position by theinfiuence of one of the springs 22 moving'the valve 5 into a closedposition. The operating lever when released from the .last statedposition returns to its initial position by the influenoe'of the otherspring 22 positioning the various parts ready to open the valve when theoperating lever is again actuated.

From the foregoing description it will Joe seen that the valve is bothopened and closed by a movement of the operating lever 31in onedirection and to permit actuation of the operating lever from remoteplaces within the building, an op-- erating cable 56 is attached to theoperating lever 31 and to one end of a bell crank lever 57 suitablysupported for pivotal movement and the other end of the bell crank leverhas chains 58 connected thereto leading to various places and wherebell'crank levers 59 are pivotally located; The chains providecompensating mediums to take'care of slack that may occur in thecontrols during the'operation thereof. The bell crank levers 59have'connected thereto cables 60 which extend through the ceiling of thebasement into other parts of the building and have connection withoperating finger'pieces 61, one of which is located adjacent the basin 3and slidably mounted so that on an upward pull thereon the operatinglever 31 will be movedinthe direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 2for opening the valve and as the valve moves into an opened position orthe operating lever assumes the position shown in 'Figure 4, the-pull onthe finger piece 61 is stopped and when released perthe position shownin Figure- 4 maintaining the ioo 'mits the latch plate to lock the valvelever in valve in an opened position, so that on a second upward pull onthe finger piece 61 the operating lever 31 is moved from the positionshown in Figure 4 to a position which brings about the operation of thelatch plate to free the valve lever and permit the valve toautomatically move into a closed position as shown in Figure 6. When thepull on the finger piece is again released the operating lever 31returns to its initial position as shown in Figure 2.

The controls described permit the operation of the valve to be carriedout for the purpose of stopping and starting the hot Water heater fromremote places within the building from where the hot water burner islocated,

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it will be understood that minor changes in construction,combination and arrangement of parts may be made Without departing fromthe spirit and scope of my invention, as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A valve operating device comprising operating and valve levers, saidoperating lever journaled to a valve and the valve lever fixed to saidvalve for opening and closing the latter and having a recess, a fixedplate, spring means connected to the levers and to the plate, a latchplate pivoted adjacent one end to the fixed plate and having a notch anda cam face, spring means between the other end of the latch plate andthe fixed plate, an actuating plate slidably engaging the valve leverand pivoted to said operating lever, spring means between the actuatingplate and the operating lever, a shoulder on the actuating plate andnormally fitting in the recess of the valve lever, an extension on thevalve lever to engage the cam face and to engage in the notch after agiven movement of said levers to hold the valve lever againstretroactive movement, and means between the actuating plate and thelatch plate to cause pivotal movement of the latter during a furthermovement of the operating lever for disengaging the extension from thenotch and permitting retroactive movement of the valve lever to closethe valve.

2. A valve operating device comprising operating and valve levers, saidoperating lever journaled to a valve and the valve lever fixed to saidvalve for opening and closing the latter and having a recess, a fixedplate, spring means connected to the levers and to the plate, a latchplate pivoted adjacent one end to the fixed plate and having a notch anda cam face, spring means between the other end of the latch plate andthe fixed plate, an actuating plate slidably engaging the valve leverand pivoted to said operating lever, spring means between the actuatingplate and the operating lever, a shoulder on the actuating plate andnormally fitting in the recess of the valve lever, an extension on thevalve lever to engage the cam face and to engage in the notch after agiven movement of said levers to hold the valve lever againstretroactive movement, and a lug on the latch plate to be engaged by theactuating plate during further movement M of the operating lever tocause pivoting of said latch plate to disengage the notch thereof fromthe extension to permit retroactive movement of

